People tend to forget that the Canucks played most games last season with the same payroll as Nashville or Florida. With Ballard in the pressbox, Luongo on the bench, and Malhotra done for most of the season. That's not even counting Booth (injuries happen).

The cap goes down, but if (and he'll be fired if he doesn't) Gillis solves the Canucks salary issues, we SHOULD be able to ice a better team next year.

I'm not sure how you go about doing that (trade Edler, Burrows??), but I think a new coaching staff alone will get more production from that woeful PP and could hold players more accountable. Not to mention a somewhat healthy roster (Kesler, Booth, Bieksa, Schneider etc. etc.) would help.

The biggest thing for the Canucks is finding some consistent second line players. Enough fucking around with guys like Raymond who may or may not get hot or produce. We need our own Hossa or Williams/Carter or whoever to be a stud on the Kesler line. Either setting RK17 up, or scoring on their own. I believe Booth can be a Nathan Horton type producer, but we REALLY need to find someone that's more guaranteed. Kassian isn't ready to be counted on, and I'm not sure that Booth can stay healthy.

Basically, the Canucks have been a one-line team for too long. People in this town expect too much out of the Sedins. They carry us to the playoffs, and they need some help when the reffing goes to shit and 'the rest' have to step up.

Island Nucklehead wrote:People tend to forget that the Canucks played most games last season with the same payroll as Nashville or Florida. With Ballard in the pressbox, Luongo on the bench, and Malhotra done for most of the season. That's not even counting Booth (injuries happen).

The cap goes down, but if (and he'll be fired if he doesn't) Gillis solves the Canucks salary issues, we SHOULD be able to ice a better team next year.

I'm not sure how you go about doing that (trade Edler, Burrows??), but I think a new coaching staff alone will get more production from that woeful PP and could hold players more accountable. Not to mention a somewhat healthy roster (Kesler, Booth, Bieksa, Schneider etc. etc.) would help.

The biggest thing for the Canucks is finding some consistent second line players. Enough fucking around with guys like Raymond who may or may not get hot or produce. We need our own Hossa or Williams/Carter or whoever to be a stud on the Kesler line. Either setting RK17 up, or scoring on their own. I believe Booth can be a Nathan Horton type producer, but we REALLY need to find someone that's more guaranteed. Kassian isn't ready to be counted on, and I'm not sure that Booth can stay healthy.

Basically, the Canucks have been a one-line team for too long. People in this town expect too much out of the Sedins. They carry us to the playoffs, and they need some help when the reffing goes to shit and 'the rest' have to step up.

I don't disagree, but it's been the same 'ole song for years - mitigated somewhat when Samuelsson was around and healthy. Compound that with the fact that one of the team's best strengths when Manny and Kes were healthy, has become a weakness, and the results can't be surprising. Short of finding another 'Manny' story, we have more than just the second-line problem.

Lancer wrote:I don't disagree, but it's been the same 'ole song for years - mitigated somewhat when Samuelsson was around and healthy. Compound that with the fact that one of the team's best strengths when Manny and Kes were healthy, has become a weakness, and the results can't be surprising. Short of finding another 'Manny' story, we have more than just the second-line problem.

I think bottom-six issues are easy to fix, especially if you're throwing around "Manny" money ($2.5M). A guy like Cullen could be had that can fill that role in free agency.

I would love the Canucks to have a fourth line like Boston's, but it probably won't happen. If we're going to ice a more talented roster, and I believe we can, we need to add some talent up front. Gillis NEEDS to stop gambling on guys like Raymond. And if you have to have some cheap-o fourth liners and bottom-pairing D, so be it.

IMHO, Gillis' biggest failing is counting on offence from the D. That works fine when you're getting PP's and you can move freely through the neutral zone. Come playoff time, everyone is blocking shots and your being held up. Having a bottom-pairing of guys like Alberts or Rome is completely acceptable if your forwards can score goals.

When you think Ballard could be replaced (cap-wise) by a Fisher, Michalek, Oshie or Dubinsky etc. you really see how we could have utilized our cap more effectively.